Fic: Truth Will Out: RR#53: 1/1: Rogue, Hank - R

Title: Truth Will Out Author: Victoria P. [victoria_p@att.net] Summary: You know how much I loathe seeing you get hurt, Marie, but I feel there s something

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, Nov 15, 2001

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Title: Truth Will Out
Author: Victoria P. [victoria_p@...]
Summary: "You know how much I loathe seeing you get hurt, Marie, but I
feel there's something you need to know."
Series: Unspoken RR #53 [or 54]
Timeline: Concurrent with Traumas, after Unexpected, just before Dear
Marie and Five Minutes
Rating: R  sexual situations, language
Disclaimer: All X-Men characters belong to Marvel and Fox; this piece of
fan-written fiction intends no infringement on any copyrights.
Archive: Lists, Muse's Fool, Jenn's Indulgence.
Feedback: You know you wanna.
Notes: Thanks to Jen, Pete, Dot, and Meg. Big gushy thanks to Laura,
with whom I figured this all out on AIM the other night.

***

Truth Will Out

She felt like she couldn't breathe. Logan's lips were everywhere,
leaving her gasping in pleasure. His hands cupped her breasts, thumbing
her nipples, as his tongue thrust into her mouth, giving her a preview
of how his body would soon meld with hers.

She ran her hands through his hair, over his heavily-muscled shoulders
and chest, reveling in the feel of his thick hair against her palms. Her
legs fell open naturally, cradling him against her body, and she rocked
up against him, trying to get closer.

Skin. So much bare, warm, wonderful skin, sliding against her body,
driving her wild with desire. She didn't know where their clothes had
gone, but she wasn't going to question it now.

When he released her lips to suckle at her breast, she murmured,
"Logan," feeling pleasure arc from her nipple to her groin.

"Marie," he growled, moving to her other breast and sucking greedily, as
if he couldn't get enough of her.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and after a slow, rapturous slide
into her warmth, he was pistoning into her, their grunts and groans a
rhythmic counterpoint to the banging of the headboard against the wall.

A sound that seemed get louder, the closer she came to release.

"Marie! Marie, you in there?"

Though the haze of desire, she heard Hank calling her name.

Why the *hell* was he interrupting this devoutly wished-for
consummation? She was going to kill him if she didn't come because he
was distracting her..

"Marie, open up. It is I, Hank. I would like to discuss this broken
betrothal, if you please."

Rogue's eyes snapped open.

She looked around wildly, but she was alone. <Dammit, that dream was
probably the closest I'm ever going to get to sex with Logan.>

She was still clutching his dogtags in one hand.

"Hang on a minute, Hank, will ya?" she yelled. "I fell asleep."

Pulling on the discarded sweats she'd worn before her ill-fated attempt
to seduce Logan, she opened the door. "This had better be good, Blue,"
she snapped. "Because I was having the *best* dream--"

"I've just spoken with Scott," he replied.

She sighed and stepped out of the way to let him enter the room. "I
guess you better come in, then."

She settled back on the bed as he sat down at the desk and looked at her
over the rim of his glasses.

"Are you all right?"

She licked her lips. "I'm fine, Hank. I was just having a--"

"Dream. Yes. Did it concern, how shall I put this delicately? That man?"
His nose wrinkled in a moue of distaste on the last words.

She felt herself blush and cursed her skin, for once not because of her
mutation, but because of the porcelain complexion she was usually so
proud of. She always had to wear her embarrassments in plain sight
because of it. "That's none of your business, Hank! And, and, his name
is Logan."

Hank nodded. "I see. This is worse than I thought. You are quite smitten
with him."

"He's very attractive," she allowed.

Hank rose and began pacing. "Scott mentioned that he feels a connection
with this woman, Jean. Do you feel the same about that man?"

She had to stifle a smile at the way Hank made the words "that man"
sound like a vile epithet. "I think there might be something between
us," she said slowly. "I know he wants me. I got that from when we
touched on the lake." She turned away, still blushing. "I -- I want him
too," she whispered. Hank was one of her closest friends, but he was
like a big brother. She'd never been comfortable discussing sex with
him, and now, with his dislike of Logan so evident, she felt really
weird.

"No need to get Faulknerian, Hank," she chided, but with a smile. "Scott
and I made a mutual decision to end our engagement." He looked at her,
the question obvious in his eyes.

"That is the tale you wish to tell?"

"Yup."

"And *that man* -- he had nothing to do with it?"

"Only in the sense of his bringing *that woman* here." Two could play
that game, and it was kind of fun, actually, to allow her
still-simmering resentment toward Jean an outlet.

She could practically see the wheels turning in Hank's head. He was
brilliant, but he wasn't necessarily sly, especially when concerned
about her. He tended to charge ahead like a bull in a china shop
whenever she was in trouble, demanding answers and generally making a
nuisance of himself to whomever he perceived to be her persecutors.

"I know you don't like him, Hank," she said, "but he's a good man. He
meant well. And oh, he has hidden depths. You wouldn't believe me if I
told you."

It was as if a light bulb went off over Hank's head. "Hidden depths,
yes," he muttered. "That's it." He sat down on the bed next to her and
took her hand. "You know how much I loathe seeing you get hurt, Marie,
but I feel there's something you need to know."

She felt a slight chill of foreboding as she said, "Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "Some of the children have started a wager. On
whether you and Scott will get back together, or if, instead, each of
you will choose a new -- ahem -- bed partner within the next three
weeks."

She nodded, unsurprised. "Jubes and Johnny, right?"

"You knew?"

"Nah, but it figures. If I weren't involved, I'm sure I'd have money in
it. Jubilee has a future as a bookie. I have family in Mississippi who'd
love her. What are my odds and who am I supposed to end up with?"

He gently squeezed the hand he was still holding. "That's the crux of
the matter, I fear, my dear. You see, even though he is involved in it,
Logan has rather confidently wagered a large sum that he will have
debauched you at the end of the time period specified."

She sucked in a breath, feeling the anger she'd recently thought
dissipated welling up again. "Really?" she asked in a tone that could
cut glass.

"Yes. Unfortunately, that is not all."

She pulled her hand from his grasp and stood, wrapping her arms around
herself. "There's more." It was not a question.

"Well, Scott has indicated that he believes he will be successful in
inveigling the doctor into his bed. His very words were, 'if I were you,
I'd put money down on me and Jean,'"

"That weaselly motherfucker," she said, her voice remarkably level
considering how angry she was now.

"Which one?" Hank inquired delicately.

"Does it matter? God, how could I be so stupid?" Her voice rose
steadily. "I send Scott off to 'find his destiny' and fling myself at
Logan and the two of them are betting money on who can get into whose
pants first?" She picked up a crystal picture frame holding a photo of
Scott, a candid shot that caught his cocky grin perfectly. "Fuck that,
Hank. I'm done with this, this *bullshit*" These last words were
punctuated with the sound of the frame hitting the wall and shattering
into a million shards, much like her heart -- no, her pride -- was
doing. She refused to believe her heart was at all involved. She was
just like the men. It was all a game, and she would be the ultimate
winner.

"Marie," Hank said, edging out of her way as she looked for more
breakables to throw.

"I'm the one who's stunod," she ranted. "I'm the idiot who believed
that, that *gavonne* when he quoted poetry and drew me pictures. I'm the
*idiot* who thought he could actually want more from me than a quick
fuck." She nodded, her jaw clenched. "Thanks, Hank." It was clearly a
dismissal, and he took it as such, casting her one last concerned look
as he left her room.

She went to the desk, then, and rummaged around, looking for her credit
cards and extra cash. She wasn't sticking around if she could help it.
She wasn't sure if she was angriest with Scott and Logan, for making a
fool of her, or herself for believing them. She could hear them all over
again, this time the mockery evident under the honeyed words.

"I love you and want to be friends again," Scott had said.

"You're beautiful and I want to touch you," Logan had said.

Apparently, she was wearing a "Kick me" sign on her forehead, visible
only to assholes looking to hurt her. But no more, she thought, even as
a small voice inside her admitted she still wanted Logan, and would
probably still sleep with him if he offered. God, she was pathetic.

Her glove snagged on a pen, and she ripped her hand out of the drawer,
flinging papers everywhere.

Right on top, as if destiny were taking a hand, landed a letter she'd
gotten the day before, postmarked Ossining. There was only one person
who could be writing her from there, and she'd had no desire to read
whatever poison Magneto was trying to spread.

But now she was curious. What did the sly old devil have to say to her,
that she didn't already know from absorbing him?

Pulling her glove off with her teeth, she used her thumbnail to slit
open the envelope. Unfolding the letter, she sat down and read.

***

Notes: Ossining is about 25 miles south of Salem Center in Westchester;
Sing Sing Prison is located there.

"Stunod" is Southern Italian dialect for "stupid" or having one's head
in the clouds and not paying attention, from the Italian "stonato" which
means, "out of tune"

"Gavonne" is Southern Italian dialect for "cafone" which literally means
"country man" but idiomatically it's a nasty insult, calling someone a
barbarian, a pig, a person of no redeeming social value.

***

victoria

--

"Precedent, baby! The mother's milk of making your point and being
right!" Donna Moss, _The West Wing_